The Journey Continues
by FuocoAccigliatoDrago
Summary: Currently on hiatus. No idea when I'll get back to it.
1. The Return of Darkside

Disclaimer: I do not own anything save for the corrupted version of the Keyblade, and perhaps the idea of the plot. But everything and everyone you do recognize belongs to their respective owners and are therefore not mine, and please do not sue me for using them in this story.

Thank you…

Key

"**_blah"_** Mysterious Voice

A/N: Alright, this is the sequel to "It Begins Again", and yes this story used to be on my old account 'YamiPanther', and the reason I can no longer access that account happened during the incident where was changing the passwords back during summer, and I was unfortunately unable to access my email with the 'YamiPanther' account. Which is the reason why I got a new email address, thus getting a new account. I hope that this explains a few things!

--

Prologue

"_A New Revelation"_

Every year in the sport of Beyblade; a game consisting of mystical animal spirits and spinning tops, was the World Championships; which was being held in Moscow Russia, where the best was crowned. And this year, the Championships had quite the teams attending. They consisted of the Asian White Tigers, the American All-Starz, the European Majestics along with the mysterious Dark Bladers, the home team the Demolition Boys, and of course the Japanese team the Bladebreakers.

Leader of the White Tigers, was a young teenage boy simply named Lee; who was fifteen years old. Lee had shaggy wolf grayish black hair, tan skin and warm amber eyes. He wore no shirt but instead a dark greenish blue vest, dark greenish blue Capri pants, tan sandals which had been replaced with thick dark furred boots, and bandages covered his arms and his legs. His bit beast was Galeon; the black African lion.

His sister by a few minutes was Mariah; like Lee, she too was fifteen. And unlike Lee, she had bright bubblegum pink hair which was tied into a high ponytail with a salmon pink ribbon; that resembled cat ears, creamy tan skin and warm amber eyes. She wore a sleeveless white tee-shirt, a pair of white Capri pants, a pink sash around her slender waist, and pink high-tech sneakers. Her bit beast was Galux; the fierce mountain leopard.

Gary was the oldest of the White Tigers at sixteen; and hadn't changed a bit since he was a child. Still taller than his friends, he was built for strength and not for speed. Gary had a Mohawk of dark wolf grayish black hair, creamy skin and slanted eyes; and yet no one knew his eye color. Gary wore a plain old pair of green overalls, black wristbands, and ankle high black hiking boots. His bit beast was Galzzly; the sturdy grizzly bear. Kevin was the last member of the White Tigers; and was obviously the youngest at fourteen. He had short dark green hair pulled into a small ponytail, creamy skin and large violet eyes. He wore a plain sky blue tee-shirt, sky blue jean shorts and ankle high brown hiking boots. His bit beast was Galmin; a mischievous spider monkey.

Next up was the All-Starz, and it was always debatable on who was the actual leader. First up was a boy named Michael; a fifteen year old boy who loved Baseball. He had wavy dark brown hair, creamy colored skin, and sharp sapphire blue eyes. He wore a white tee-shirt; a blue-and-white striped tee-shirt jacket that had some sort of baseball team name on the back, baggy dark brown shorts, white socks with white tennis shoes, and a blue baseball cap. Michael's bit beast was Trygle; a proud Bald Eagle.

Next up was Emily; a fifteen year old girl with shoulder length wavy carrot orange hair, pale creamy skin and sharp sapphire blue eyes hidden behind a pair of thin glasses. She wore a green sleeved yellow tee-shirt, a green pleated skirt, and white socks with white tennis shoes. Her bit beast is Trygator; a fierce alligator. Then there was Eddy; a fifteen year old African American boy who lived and breathed basketball 24-7. He wore a red basketball uniform with the word 'USA' on front in bold blue lettering. His bit beast was Trypio; a nasty and poisonous scorpion. Last but not least was Steven; a fifteen year old boy who lived for football and even wore a football uniform of his favorite team.

Next in line was the European Majestics. First was the British teen Robert; a seventeen year old boy. He had wavy and slicked back violet hair, creamy skin and red wine eyes. Robert wore a white dress shirt, plain brown cloth pants, knee high dark maroon boots, and fingerless brown leather gloves. Robert had a rare mythical bit beast known as Gryfolion; a proud griffin.

Then there was Oliver; who was from France, and was sixteen years old. Oliver had short and wavy bright green hair, an aristocratic face, and creamy skin and almond-shape sapphire blue eyes. He wore a ruby red shirt, a black belt around his slender waist, creamy white pants, simple and plain brown suede shoes, a sleeveless and deep blue trench coat, and a blue French barrette on his head. Oliver also had a rare mythical bit beast known as Unicolion; a beautiful white unicorn. Then there was Enrique an Italian teen from the country of Rome; and was seventeen years old. He had short and curly pale blond hair, creamy peach skin, and sharp pale blue eyes. Enrique wore a yellow shirt, a red tee-shirt jacket, plain green pants, and brown suede shoes.

Last but not least of the European team was a boy named Johnny who was from Germany; and was fifteen ears old and not to mention was a bit on the short side. Johnny had gravity defying dark auburn hair, pale creamy skin, and sharp icy blue eyes. He wore a sky blue tee-shirt, lightly tan shorts and vest, sky blue socks with tan hiking boots, sky blue wristbands and a sky blue headband.

The Dark Bladers; heh, weren't exactly what one would call normal. First was a young man known as Sanquinex. Sanquinex had milky white skin, high cheekbones, slicked back ebony hair with a single red streak, tiny fangs were overlapping his lower lips, and he had glittering ruby red eyes. His bit beast didn't exactly have a name; but was actually a monster…a vampire. Then there was Centopah, a young man whose face save for his eyes and mouth, was covered entirely by thick white bandages, what little skin that could be seen was heavily tan, and he had cold amber eyes. His bit beast was also a monster…a mummy to be precise. Next you have Lupinex; apparently the youngest of the group although it was hard to determine their ages for some strange reason. Lupinex had shoulder length shaggy blue hair, tan skin and feral sapphire blue eyes. Like the other two, his bit beast was also a monster…a feral werewolf actually.

And last but not least, was the young man simply known as Xan. Xan was tall and rather burly. He had very short and spiky dark greenish black hair, tan skin and dull emerald green eyes. Oddly enough, there was stitches in his forehead while he also had what appeared to be bolts on the side of his throat. He too had a monstrous bit beast…Frankenstein's monster actually. Actually, all four Dark Bladers wore the same thing: a dark hooded robe.

Next, we have the home team the Demolition Boys. The leader of the Demolition Boys was a boy named Tala; who was fifteen years old. He had wild and wavy bright red hair, pale creamy skin and emotionless sapphire blue eyes. All he wore was a zipped up white coat, a pair of thick white pants with a single red stripe down the side, and white sneakers. His bit beast was Wolborg; a wild ice wolf.

Next came Spencer; who was sixteen years old. He was rather tall with wild blond hair, pale creamy skin, a broad shoulder muscular body, and icy pale sapphire blue eyes. He wore an orange tee-shirt, a green pilots vest, thick and baggy white cloth pants, ankle high brown army boots, fingerless green gloves and a green pilots cap with a pair of brown goggles. His bit beast was Seaborg; a powerful whale. Then there was Bryan; a very sadistic fifteen year old boy. He had very short pale lilac hair, pale creamy skin and cruel looking lavender eyes. He wore a dark blue tee-shirt, a light brown furred dark maroon vest, a pair of dark maroon pants, a pair of ankle high lightly brown furred black army boots, and of course dark blue wristbands. Bryan's bit beast was Falborg; a cruel falcon.

And last but not least was the youngest; Ian, who was fourteen and as short as Kevin was. Ian had short and messy dark purplish black hair, pale creamy skin, a long hooked nose, and cruel crimson red eyes. He wore a maroon tee-shirt, dark green camouflage overalls, brown leather gloves, ankle high black army boots, and a dark green pilots cap.

Now, the final team was the Japanese team the Bladebreakers. The leader, well more like co-captain, was a boy named Tyson Granger; a slightly chubby thirteen year old. Tyson had long dark blue hair that was tied back into a ponytail that reached past his shoulders, tan skin and soft dark blue hair. He wore a yellow tee-shirt, a red tee-shirt jacket, baggy dark blue jean shorts, white socks with red-and-white high tech sneakers, fingerless brown leather gloves, and a red-and-white baseball cap. His bit beast was Dragoon, the dragon of winds.

The second co-captain was a boy who was half Russian and half Japanese, named Kai Hitawari; who was also thirteen years old. Kai had messy bluish grey bangs with dark blue hair in the back, pale creamy skin, and sharp crimson mocha eyes. He wore a skin tight sleeveless black tee-shirt, baggy blue jeans, black army boots, a white silk scarf, and finally metal gauntlets around his wrists. His bit beast was Dranzer, the phoenix of fire.

Then there was Kenny, a.k.a. the "Chief", a twelve year old boy who was a genius with knowledge on Beyblade, and always carried a talking lap top around with him named Dizzaga or "Dizzy". He wore a white tee-shirt with a green tie, dark gray shorts, and white socks with shiny black shoes. Next up was an American boy named Max Tate; and he was thirteen years old. Max had wild and unruly sun-kissed golden blond hair, pale creamy skin and large sapphire blue eyes. He wore a bright green tee-shirt, bright orange overalls, white socks with green sneakers, and bright green armbands. His bit beast was Draciel, the turtle of water.

And last but not least, was the Chinese teen named Rei Kon; who was eighteen years old. He had short and shaggy dark brown spikes where a streak of chestnut brown framed his heart shape face, golden bronze skin as if he spent years out in the sun, a cute upturned nose, full pouty lips, and almond shape golden amber eyes with slitted pupils. He wore a black turtleneck, baggy dark blue jeans, black steel combat boots, a white sleeved black leather jacket and black leather gloves. And hanging around his neck was a three pointed silver crown necklace.

However, there were three other people along with the Bladebreakers; they were apparently friends with Rei, much to the Bladebreakers surprisement and the White Tigers annoyance.

The first was a girl who was eighteen, like Rei. She had length curly and wavy dark brown hair, creamy skin, and deep green eyes. She wore a sleeveless yellow sundress, and buckle strapped brown sandals. Her name was Selphie Tilmitt. And Selphie was a big romantic and her personal weapon was a razor sharp whip. Next was a boy, who was also eighteen like Selphie and Rei, and also a good friend. This boy had messy white-blond hair, golden bronze skin, and deep blue eyes. The boy wore no shirt, but a short sleeved dark blue jacket with a bit of yellow mixed into the sleeves, baggy blue jean shorts; and strangely enough one pant leg was longer than the other, white socks with black hiking boots, and black leather gloves. His name was Tidus Mizu, and was also into a sport called Blitzball and loved practicing out his sword; which was also his personal weapon.

And last but not least was the oldest, was a young man just out of his teens. He had wild reddish orange hair that was held up by a blue headband that was around the young man's forehead, lightly tan skin and soft chocolate brown eyes. He wore a sleeveless light tan tee-shirt, baggy orange pants, tan sandals and dark blue armbands. His name was Wakka Jordan, and he too loved Blitzball, and the bumpy white-and-blue ball was his own personal weapon.

What the other teams didn't realize, was that Rei had hidden his past from all who knew him, but now things were coming forth and Rei was forcing to show his true self. And only time will tell in these events…

--

…

Everyone in the audience had been stunned into silence when Rei had given the performance of a lifetime. And just seconds after singing the heartfelt song '1000 Words', Rei had deactivated the unique form he was using, restoring his natural appearance once more. The rest of the Bladebreakers shifted uneasily up to the still silent Rei. "Everything okay?" Tyson asked softly. Rei sighed, and was about to retort when he stiffened as he sensed something starting to form in the stadium. "What is it Sora?" Tidus asked nervously, seeing the agitation in his friend. "Something's coming." Rei muttered, shifting nervously. "Are you sure?" Emily questioned, worriedly. Rei nodded. "Yes, I can feel the Heartless near by." Rei spat, his golden amber eyes flashing angrily.

Huh?

**_So much to do, so little time…take your time. Don't be afraid, for the door is still shut. Now, step forward. Can you do it?_**

Rei froze when he heard the voice. And apparently, judging by everyone else's stunned and startled looks; they had heard the voice, too. "Be careful, Sora." Selphie warned as Rei took a hesitant step forward. The eyes of every Beyblader and audience member widen in shock and awe as a single podium rose from the ground. The podium was a dark silver with intricate black vines creeping all over it.

_**If you give it form…it will protect you. **_

Rei smiled softly as he recognized the item floating on top of the podium. It was a gold handle silver sword in the shape of a giant key. The Keyblade, a powerful weapon that could seal worlds from the darkness and destroy the Heartless.

_**Very well. Use this power to protect yourself and others.**_

Max let out a surprised yelp as several child like black creatures started to rise from the ground from shallow pools of dark purplish black liquid. The black creatures were about the size of a small child with pure black skin, a small round head, wiggling antennas, razor sharp claws and curved talons, a jagged grin and glowing golden amber eyes full of hunger.

Shadow Heartless.

"This can't be good." Michael said nervously, backing up uneasily as the Shadows hissed at the Beybladers, their golden amber eyes glowed with an unnatural hunger. "What the hell are those things?!" Lee demanded. "Heartless." Rei said softly as his friends sent surprised looks his way.

_**There will be times where you will have to fight. Keep your light burning strong.**_

"Those are Heartless?" Kevin questioned, remembering what Rei had explained before singing his song. Heartless; creatures born from the darkness within hearts. Then the Heartless attacked! Rei brought up the Kingdom Keyblade and it went straight through the Shadow's chest, causing it to burst into black mist. Suddenly, Rei slammed the Keyblade into the ground as he called forth a spell.

"_Thundara!"_

Multiple bolts of golden thunder rained down and struck each Shadow with deadly accuracy. Kenny was amazed that none of the lightning struck any of the bystanders. Now that was some kind of luck. The Heartless that remained just phased back into the ground and were gone. "It's over, right?" Mariah asked fearfully. Rei straighten up, breathing slightly heavy from using the second-level thunder spell and quickly downed a Elixir, before answering the younger girl. "No. The Heartless always attack more than once." He said grimily.

Oh.

_**Behind you!**_

Rei whirled around as did everyone else, just in time to see a Shadow Heartless form and leapt at his throat. He brought the Keyblade up and impaled the Heartless and watched as it exploded into dust.

Huh?

Selphie's green eyes widen when she saw three people casually leaning against one of the stadium walls. One looked like a humanoid white duck with watery dark eyes and wore a zipper covered sky blue shirt, a deep blue zipper covered French beret, and a pair of gold braces around the wrists. Second one looked like a tall humanoid black dog with floppy ears, kind dark eyes and rather large feet. The dog-creature wore a dark green turtleneck, baggy orange pants, brown shoes, a black leather vest, white gloves, and an orange pilot's cap with a pair of brown goggles rested on his head.

The final person was obviously human and was around nineteen years in age. He had shoulder length pearl silver hair framing an aristocratic face, creamy skin, full lips and almond shape aquamarine eyes. The teen wore a sleeveless black tee-shirt with a pale yellow vest over it, baggy dark blue jeans, black army boots and black leather gloves.

Riku Hellion.

_**Hold on. The door won't open just yet. First, tell me more about yourself.**_

The islander's mouths dropped open as Rei walked up to the silent Riku who smiled at the stunned Keybearer. _"What are you so afraid of?"_ The older teen asked softly, his voice like whispering winds. Rei grew thoughtful before speaking up.

"Getting old." He admitted sheepishly.

Riku raised an eyebrow at the younger teen who turned a beet red, and chuckled softly. _"Getting old?"_ He repeated with a smile. _"Is that really so scary?"_ It could be, knowing as you get old that you'll die someday. Riku stepped back as Rei moved onto the duck-creature. _Donald_, Rei thought fondly as the duck looked up with a throaty laugh.

"_What do you want outta life?"_ The duck mage asked curiously. Rei smiled, and Wakka thought that when the younger teen spoke, he spoke in an almost dreamy tone. "To see rare sights." He answered dreamily. Donald laughed, knowing full well that would be the answer the Keybearer would give. Of course, the Beyblade teams, the islanders as well as the watching audience were greatly confused.

"_To see rare sights, huh?"_

Rei smiled sadly and then turned his attention on the dog-creature and knew it was the lovable knight Goofy. The knight gave his loud joyful laughter before asking Rei a strangely familiar question.

"_What's most important to you, Sora?"_

Rei's golden amber eyes lingered on the confused Beybladers then on the islanders. He smiled as he turned back to the patient knight and answered the ex-knights question. "My friends." He said gently.

"_I'm glad you chose friendship, Sora."_

Rei stepped back and Selphie placed a comforting hand on his shoulder as they watched the three flicker out of existence and was gone from their sights. Rei sighed heavily and the mysterious voice spoke up once more.

_**You're afraid of getting old. You want to see rare sights. And you treasure friendship. Your adventures begin at dawn. As long as the sun is shining, your journey shall be a pleasant one.**_

Rei glanced to his friends. "Well? What do you think?" He asked gently. "You want us to decide with you?" Kenny asked in amazement. Rei nodded, a warm smile playing at his lips. Rei and the islanders watched in amusement as the Beybladers gathered into a group and discussed to what they would do, before breaking apart as Tyson spoke up for all of them.

"Sounds good." Said the dragon Beyblader.

_**The day you will open the door is both far off and very near.**_

Rei shook his head, trying to clear away the sense of déjà vu, and looked around uneasily. "Something still bothering you, Rei?" Oliver asked in concern. Rei frowned. "I can still sense Heartless, but I can't find them." Rei growled before stiffening as the voice spoke up once more.

_**The closer to the light you are…the stronger your shadow becomes…**_

Oh no…

"Rei, what's wrong?" Mariah asked frantically as Rei's once healthy tan skin turned an ashen white and the older teen turned wide eyes to the floor, and began backing up; fright clearly seen in his beautiful golden amber eyes. "Rei?" Lee asked worriedly, watching his best friend with worried eyes. Tyson followed the older teen's gaze and his own eyes widen in shock. "Guys, you better take a look." He said uneasily, pointing to the ground as the other Beybladers followed his gaze and froze. Well, more like the Dark Bladers and the Demolition Boys cursing compare to the others surprised cries. "What the hell is going on here?!" Eddie yelled. "This can't be happening!" Kenny yelped.

Down on the ground, there should've been a number of shadows from the arena lights. However, every shadow from each Beyblader and including audience, was gone. Save for a single shadow.

Rei's.

Rei's shadow arched its back and became three dimensional. "This isn't scientifically possible." Kenny insisted as Rei continued to back up nervously. Slowly, Rei's shadow started to mutate and grow larger with each step it took. However, there was a problem with this. Emily looked up to the ceiling of the stadium and muttered several words that no one could catch before angrily explaining what she figured out with this recent event. "That thing is going to break through the ceiling any minute, thus bringing down the stadium on the entire audience and _us_!"

Not good.

Soon, Rei's shadow was over seventy feet in height, and the audience were screaming in fear as debris and shrapnel fell downwards and people were panicking as BBA agents began guiding them out. The shadow was huge, and rather muscular with a large hole in the chest forming a heart of all things, long wiggling antennas, huge razor sharp claws and curved talons, and wicked glowing golden amber eyes.

Darkside.

_**But don't be afraid. And don't forget…**_

Rei just turned around and bolted for the crumbling stands, desperate to get away from Darkside. He hissed as a piece of metal hit him in the head, and rich black blood began seeping downwards before he skidded to a complete halt when he saw what was blocking his way.

Shadow Heartless.

Rei slowly turned around, realizing he had no choice but to battle Darkside, lest he wished harm on his friends. He looked over and saw them huddling near a stand that clearly offered more protection. He took a deep breath and ran forward just as Darkside slammed his right fist into the ground. Dark purplish black liquid bubbled around the fist and as the liquid began to recede, even more Shadows were twitching and waiting to take him down.

_That's it!_

Rei slammed the Keyblade into the ground and focused all of his energy into this spell. Max peeked out from their hiding spot and looked to the skies and was amazed when he saw the once clear blue skies turned a rich ebony as ominous storm clouds gathered over head, and icy blue lightning cackled in the ominous looking skies.

"_**Thundaja!"**_

Instantly, a huge bolt of ice blue lightning shot straight down and into Darkside's head, Mariah covered her ears and tried to block out the massive Heartless's roar of agony as the lightning ripped through it, and the glow from the lightning was so bright, that it blinded everyone momentarily. When the light cleared, Tidus let out a loud curse and began running out onto the ruined arena floor. "Wait up, man!" Wakka yelled, chasing the blond down as Selphie gave chase. Tyson wondered why they were heading out into the ruined arena and into danger, when he saw why.

Rei was lying face down on the ground, the odd looking sword was missing and it appeared that Rei wasn't moving. "Jeeze." He got up and followed, and didn't realize that the other Beybladers had soon followed in hot pursuit.

"Is he okay?" Lupinex asked gruffly, blue eyes concern. Wakka checked for a pulse and found one. Albeit sluggish. "He's fine, just unconscious from using so much energy." The red head explained as Selphie cradled Rei's head in her lap. Then Kenny realized something. "Uh, guys? Why isn't that black thing leaving?" He squeaked, and pointed to Darkside, who was apparently still here. Wakka and Tidus got into battle stances and stood in front of both Selphie and the unconscious Rei in a protective manner. Mariah let out a frighten cry as she felt an icy cold liquid bubble furiously over her feet. Frighten, she looked down and let out a screech as a dark purplish black liquid was bubbling over all of their feet.

"What is this?" Emily yelled, trying to get free as pitch black mists began to wrap around their bodies. Now, all of them were struggling and thrashing to get out of the dark liquid, only the black mists were preventing them from escaping.

_**But don't be afraid. For you hold the mightiest weapon of them all…**_

"That voice must be talking about Rei." Enrique guessed. "And about the key shape sword." Oliver figured, blue eyes showing understanding. The black mists had separated Selphie from the unconscious Rei, and black wisps were slowly wrapping around the Keybearer's form, threatening to drag the unconscious teen down into total darkness.

_**So don't forget: You are the one who will open the door…**_

The black mists was now dragging them down into the liquid, and the last thing any of them saw was the darken skies and the pained and terrified cries of the audience.

Then nothing at all.


	2. Meet Ranma and Yami

Disclaimer: I do not own anything save for the corrupted version of the Keyblade, and perhaps the idea of the plot. But everything and everyone you do recognize belongs to their respective owners and are therefore not mine, and please do not sue me for using them in this story.

Thank you…

--

Chapter 1

"_Meet Ranma and Yami"_

**-Time Unknown-**

"Oww…" Tyson moaned, as he began to regain consciousness. His dark blue eyes fluttered open, and the dragon Beyblader was soon greeted by a dark brick wall. His eyes widen and soon the fogginess in his head cleared as he sat upright.

Big mistake.

For a second, dizziness washed over him, but it quickly cleared up. Tyson looked around curiously, seeing a set of barrels and crates around him. _How the heck did I get in an alley?_ He wondered and slowly stood up. The last thing Tyson remembered was seeing Darkside's cruel golden eyes glaring down at the Beyblading teams, the dark liquid bubbling over their feet, then nothing at all.

Huh?

It took him a minute, but Tyson soon spotted the unconscious forms of the islanders, the White Tigers and the other Bladebreakers; minus Rei, lying near by. "Guys, wake up!" He hissed. "Ow, not so loud Tyson." Max whined as he slowly sat up, grimacing at the monstrous headache he now had. Mariah rubbed her throbbing head before looking around as she came to the same conclusion as Tyson did. "Where's Rei?" She asked, panicking.

--

"Hey, I think he's waking up." Said a soft male voice. "You have the knack for stating the obvious, Ranma." Said a second male voice, only this one was rich and deep; like that of an aristocrat. Rei groaned as his sensitive hearing picked up on the two voices, and was slowly regaining consciousness. His eyes started to open and was looking up into the eyes of the owners of the two voices.

Bright golden amber met stormy blue-grey and ruby red.

"Ack!" Rei yelped and staggered backwards, well, more like landed on his back. The owners of the two voices chuckled, clearly amused by his antics. Rei was helped to his feet by the owner of the red eyes, before he finally got a good look at the two who stood before him. Both appeared to be roughly around eighteen years of age. The teen who had first spoken was as tall as he was, and had raven black hair that was tied back into a thick pigtail, creamy tan skin, a strong chiseled face, and of course stormy blue-grey eyes. He wore a sleeveless dark blue silk shirt with two gold bands going across his chest; which was under his throat, black silk tunic pants, a dark blue silk sash-belt, dark golden armbands, and finally, flat black fighting slippers.

"The names Ranma," He introduced himself. "Nice to meetcha!"

Rei smiled shyly.

The other teen had spiky ebony hair that was outlined in dark magenta, with a crown of golden lightning-like bangs framed his sharp angular face, and golden lightning bolts streaked through his thick spiky hair, golden bronze skin, and almond shape ruby red eyes. He wore a sleeveless black tee-shirt, skin tight dark blue jeans, black leather boots with silver studded dark blue leather belts forming an "x" over them, a silver studded black and a dark blue leather set of belts, also forming an "x" around his waist, a silver studded black leather collar, and a dark blue leather jacket.

Rei's golden amber eyes zoomed in on the odd necklace the teen wore. Hanging on a thick silver chain, was an inverted golden pyramid with the Egyptian eye of Horus on it. Rei also noted the card deck holder on the right side of the teen's waist, and saw that it was full of some sort of playing cards.

Hm.

The teen smiled and spoke in a soothing tone. "My name is Yami; may we inquire your name?" He asked gently. Rei raised an eyebrow but smiled, and he suddenly felt he could trust these two just as much as he did with Donald and Goofy.

"Rei Kon." Rei said quietly.

However, they still didn't have his trust, so he wasn't able to tell them his birth name. Hopefully they would be able to gain his trust, seeing he would need all the help he could get when fighting the Heartless. Ranma got a curious look in his eyes as he eyed Rei carefully. "Was your world destroyed by the darkness, too?" He asked curiously. Rei stiffened, but both teens saw this and knew that Ranma was right. What the two didn't know, was that Rei's world was destroyed years ago.

Sighing, Rei choose to look around, trying to figure out where exactly he was. The Keybearer's golden amber eyes widen as he took in his surroundings. He was standing in the middle of a courtyard, the ground made of pebble stone as if from the eighteenth century. Standing between the three was an old fashioned looking black metal lamps. On the far left was a rather large and cozy looking café, and when Rei turned around he was looking at a rather familiar looking building with a large golden star next to the store's name: ACESSORY SHOP. He squinted, and he was probably imagining it, but he swore he saw another shop sitting just two feet away with the sign: ITEM SHOP flashing in neon red. Rei's golden amber eyes focused on the huge boarded up gate to the right of the lamps, then the huge gate that was across from them. That was the entrance to leave this world, and to enter a Gummi Ship. Rei knew exactly where he was.

"Traverse Town…"

--

…

The two teams along with the islanders trudged out of the alley. "Woah, something tells me we're no longer in Russia." Lee said uneasily, taking in the eighteenth century appearance of the town. "Where is Rei, anyway?" Max questioned, looking around curiously. "He's over there." Kenny said quietly, pointing out the elder teen, who was apparently talking to two strange looking teenagers that none of them even recognize. Tyson chose to call out Rei's name, startling the older teen.

"Hey Rei!"

--

"Hey Rei!"

Rei flinched at Tyson's loud and boisterous voice. "Can he be any louder?" He grumbled and turned around to see the White Tigers along with the Bladebreakers and the islanders walking up towards them. Rei frowned, they were missing quite the amount of people. "Uh, where are the other teams?" Rei asked sharply, and a bit uneasily. Selphie looked uneasy. "We don't know." She said worriedly. "They weren't here when we woke up." Tidus explained, seeing Rei's agitated look. Kevin saw the two teens standing behind Rei and frowned. "Who the hell are you?" The small teen asked rather rudely.

Ranma bristled at the brat's tone. "Why I outta…" He growled, but both Rei and Yami held him back from strangling Kevin. "Calm down Ranma!" Yami hissed. "Cool it Kevin!" Rei snapped, glaring at the younger teen who meeped, and hid behind Lee nervously. Ranma slowly calmed down, but kept glaring at Kevin while Yami explained their troubles when their worlds where destroyed by the darkness, and Kenny felt that they were talking about the same darkness that Rei had explained to them; the Heartless. Rei just looked away and looked up at the evening skies with a sad look. The twinkling stars reminded him of the times when he and Riku would stay out late and watch the stars. _Gods, I miss them_, he thought sadly and sighed heavily. "Is everything okay?" Rei looked up, surprised when he saw that everyone was watching him with concern.

The Keybearer just gave a feeble smile. "Don't worry, I'm fine." He said softly to Mariah, who had asked the question that was on everyone's minds. "You sure?" Max asked quietly, seeing the sadness reflecting back in those golden amber eyes. Rei gave a slight nod, and Max dropped it.

For now.

"_Sora."_

Huh?

Rei looked up sharply. Who was calling him? And why did the voice sound so familiar? It was a soft and sweet female voice who was calling, but whom?

"_Sora."_

Ooof!

Rei grunted as he was tackled by a dark red blur. The other Beybladers, islanders and both Ranma and Yami, jumped back in shock, allowing them to see who the red blur was. It turned out to be a girl the same age as Rei. And it was a girl that the islanders recognized right away. The girl had dark red hair which framed her cherubic face perfectly, pale creamy skin and soft dark blue eyes. She wore a sleeveless black tee-shirt with a lavender strapped white tank top over it, a lavender mini skirt, and white sneakers. She also wore a pretty dark green tear drop shape stone necklace around her neck on a thin black cord, a large gold bracelet around her left wrist, and a pair of gold and black bracelets on her right wrist.

She hugged him furiously. "I'm so glad your back." She whispered, crying into his chest. Still in shock, he simply drew her in closer and hugged her back. "Is it really you Kairi?" He whispered. She smiled as she slapped his arm in a playful manner. "Of course it's me, you lazy bum!" He smiled at his old nickname. "Who'd you think I was?" Watching their intimate hug, Mariah grew very jealous. "Who do you think you are?!" She demanded of the girl, who she'd thought was stealing Rei from _her_. As if Rei was ever Mariah's. The girl looked over with a slight smile, sadness flickering in her dark blue eyes. "Forgive me, but my names Kairi. It's nice to meet all of you." She greeted, leaning into Rei's chest, sighing softly. Rei smiled fondly and drew her even closer, almost possessively as he eyed Mariah with a stern gaze.

Kairi then realized something and looked back up at Rei with curiosity shining in her dark eyes. "Sora, where are Riku, Donald and Goofy?" She questioned. Rei looked down and Kairi saw the tears in his eyes and knew what had happened.

"No…" She whispered.

Rei took in a deep breath. "I'm sorry, but they died a few months ago." He explained shakily. "How?" She asked weakly. He looked into her eyes and she saw the pearly white tears trickling down his golden amber eyes. "A few months ago, in Paris, there was a massive army of Heartless. And, I'm afraid that they sacrificed their lives just so I could live." Rei said in a bitter tone. "Listen to me Sora," Kairi began in a firm tone and Rei glanced at her in shock. "I know for a fact that they wouldn't want you to mope around." She told him. "So if I were you, I would give the Heartless everything I got!" He smiled and wiped the tears from his eyes. "You're right." He said softly. Yami smiled, seeing that Rei truly loved this girl and would do anything to protect her. But, the Egyptian teen wondered why he was sensing immense darkness brewing underneath the two lovebirds. His inward ruby red eyes widen in shock when he saw what was happening.

"Rei, look out!" Yami yelled.

The two looked up, and Rei wondered what was Yami's problem, before he felt a liquid bubble over his feet. Alarmed, the two looked down and panicked when they saw the dark purplish black liquid swirling at their feet and was bubbling dangerously. To Rei's horror, he watched as familiar black wisps start to wrap around both him and Kairi. Unfortunately, the wisps were also pushing the two lovebirds away from each other as the ground trembled under their feet. "Sora!" Kairi shrieked, reaching out for him as the black wisps wrapped firmly around them, pure ebony black mists were crawling along the floor. "Kairi!" Rei yelled, struggling to reach her, despite the firm hold the black wisps seemed to have. Just as the ex-White Tiger was about to grab her hand, when they were completely engulfed by the dark mists.

"Rei!" They screamed.

Suddenly, the black mists exploded, and Rei stumbled forward in a daze, the Kingdom Keyblade was being gripped tightly in his right hand. However, Kairi was nowhere to be found.

_**Keyblade…**_

_**…Keyblade…**_

_**…Keyblade…**_

Rei shook his head, and looked around frantically for Kairi. "Kairi!" He called frantically, only to get nothing in return. "KAIRI!" He howled her name, before letting out a terrifying wail. A wail that was full of fury and anguish, before he collapsed to the ground, sobbing his heart out.

"Sora…" Selphie whispered.

Lee heard a door open and turned around to see a man in his mid to late forties with short spiky blond hair, tan skin, a broad muscular body, and sharp dark blue eyes. He wore a white tee-shirt, baggy blue jeans, black boots, a brown leather belt and a pair of brown pilot's goggles in his hair. Also, hanging around his neck was a set of dog tags. He was also chewing on what appeared to be a strand of wheat.

"Oi, what's with all the noise out here?" He asked in a gruff tone. "Forgive our friend sir, he just lost someone." Kenny explained nervously, gesturing to the still sobbing Rei, the Keyblade lied next to the still dazed teen. The man's dark eyes lingered on the fallen Keyblade. "Kid?" Rei stopped, hearing the man's voice and looked up with red-rimmed golden amber eyes and recognition flashed in them. Rei started wiping the tears from his eyes and slowly stood up, watching the man who blinked in curiosity and concern.

"Cid?"

The man shifted, and for a second, he saw those golden amber eyes flicker a familiar shade of blue, before a wide grin played his lips. "Well, I'll be!" The man said jovially. "If it ain't Sora!" Rei blushed and rubbed the back of his head as he gave a sheepish smile. The Bladebreakers, Ranma and Yami, and the White Tigers were confused. "Sora?" Max repeated, confused. Rei turned even redder. "It's my real name." He mumbled, still beet red. "So, those bastard Heartless took Kairi again, huh?" Rei nodded bitterly at Cid's question. Rei realized something as he looked around the First District of Traverse Town.

"Say, Cid?" He began.

"Hm?"

"Where are Leon, Yuffie and Aerith?" Rei questioned. Ranma and Yami exchanged curious looks. Obviously these people must be friends of Rei's. Cid was thoughtful. "Let's see," Cid mused. "Leon should be training in the Secret Waterway and Yuffie's with him, while I think Aerith should be at the Small House in the Third District." The pilot explained.

Oh.

"Maybe we should check out these other districts." Yami suggested. Rei nodded. "Alright, however…" He turned to the curious Beybladers and islanders. "You guys aren't coming." He said sternly.

_Wait for it…_

"WHAT?!"

Rei, Ranma and Yami grimaced and rubbed their ringing ears. "It's just as I said," Rei snapped, glaring at them. "Can you guys fight without relying on your bit beasts?" Rei asked sharply. The two Beyblading teams looked down, ashamed as they knew Rei was right. "And you three, while you can fight, none of you know any magic." Rei explained patiently to their dumbfounded looks.

He was right, of course.

Rei sheathed the Keyblade in a handmade scabbard that was given to him by Cid; apparently Leon and the others had chipped in to make it for him, before glancing to Ranma and Yami and gave them a slight nod. Tyson was fuming silently as the three walked up the set of stairs that was in front of the Accessory Shop, then up the stairs that was next to the shop, and disappeared around the corner. What they didn't see, was Rei opening a huge set of doors; which granted them access to the Second District and were gone.

--

**Second District**

The trio stepped into a smooth courtyard. As the door closed behind them, Rei turned to face both Ranma and Yami. "I think it's best if you guys carry these weapons. They used to belong to my friends." He said softly. Fluttering in front of the two curious teens, were a set of tiny colorful balls of pure light. Hovering in front of Ranma was a glittering golden ball of energy, while the ball of light hovering in front of Yami was a sparkling violet. To their shock, the lights started to take form and before their very eyes, the golden light had taken on the form of a large shield, while the silver light had taken on the form of a slender staff.

The shield was about five feet in height and was wide in width; clearly able to protect anyone's torso, and was a deep silver color. On the front of the shield was a large black circle with two smaller circles on the top; resembling ears. In fact, it was the same symbol that was dangling from Rei's Keyblade. The staff was also five feet in length, and was a deep dark blue color; and with a lightning bolt etched up top. Like the Keyblade, Yami sensed the magic brimming within it.

Rei smiled.

"Ranma, that is the **Knight's Shield**, while Yami, that is the **Mage's Staff**." Rei explained. "When they were alive, Goofy used shields while Donald used staffs. Both weapons will enhance whatever abilities you already have."

"Wow, uh, thanks Rei, er—" Ranma trailed off, not sure on how to address the teen. Rei chuckled softly. "Might as well go with my birth name, Ranma." Rei teased, golden eyes twinkling merrily. "Sora Everheart." Rei finally introduced his **_real_** name. The two teens smiled, pleased that Rei, er, Sora was learning to trust them. Ranma reached for the shield, which felt oddly light in his hands; and strangely enough felt…right. Yami reached for the staff, which hummed in his hands, and it felt warm as if it had accepted him as its master.

Odd.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Rei exclaimed. The Keybearer snapped his fingers and Yami's eyes glazed over slightly before clearing up. "What did you do?" The Egyptian teen questioned, a little suspicious. Rei smiled and held up his hands. "Relax Yami; all I did was give you the **Fire** spell." Seeing their confused looks, he decided to explain. "Some times Heartless can only be defeated with certain spells, and I thought it would be best if you knew the same magic that _I _did."

Made sense.

"Thank you." Yami said quietly. Rei chuckled. "Not a problem." He said warmly. "Hm, it looks peaceful here to me." Ranma mused. "Looks like you're right." Yami agreed. "I wouldn't say that." Rei said dryly.

"Look!"

What the—?

Running away, was a brunette haired man with dark eyes and dressed in old fashioned colonial clothing, suddenly tripped in front of them. The man's eyes widen in horror as a sparkling crystallized heart rose out from his chest, and the man's body suddenly vanished in a blaze of sparkling reddish pink light, and to Rei's anger, a Heartless emerged from the crystal heart. However, they weren't able to get a good look as the Heartless promptly warped away in a small portal of dark energy.

Not good.

"Dammit!" Ranma growled. Out of the corner of his eye, Yami saw Rei tense as he unsheathed the Keyblade and slid his right foot forward and hunched slightly. "What is it?" The Egyptian questioned softly.

"Trouble." Rei growled.

He was right.

Forming around them were several Shadow Heartless. "This can't be good." Ranma said nervously as the trio backed up until they were backed against each other. Yami decided to try out his new spell, and pointed the Mage's Staff at two Shadow's and summoned the spell from his mind.

"_Fire!"_

A ball of fire, the size of a football, shot out and roasted the two Heartless. Yami smirked as he successfully cast his first elemental spell. Knowledge of different moves by using a shield went through Ranma's mind, and he chose to activate it right…now. Rei nearly gapped as he saw Ranma spin around, and Rei was getting a serious case of déjà vu as the shield slice through even more Shadow's.

_Serious déjà vu._

Rei lunged forward and swept behind the last three Shadow Heartless, and ripped through them like a hot knife through butter. Rei straighten as the last Shadow Heartless crumbled into dust and crystallized hearts fluttered into the air.

"We better get back to the others." Ranma said worriedly.

--

**First District**

"I'm getting a bad feeling about this you guys." Max said worriedly as they lounged about the café. "Why Max? Rei and those two look like they can handle anything." Lee pointed out. "Yeah, but something still doesn't feel right." Max insisted.

Huh?

Hearing footsteps, the two teams and the islanders looked up to see Rei, Ranma and Yami running down the stairs, panting. "What's wrong?" Mariah asked worriedly, as the three struggled to gain their breath. "Heartless…they're overrunning…this place…" Ranma wheezed.

"So, Cid was right. You've come back."

What the—?

Rei looked up and grinned as he recognized the man leaning against one of the lamp posts. The man appeared to be in his early to mid twenties with shoulder length spiked dark brown hair, lightly tan skin, a strong muscular body, sharp dark blue eyes and a long scar going down his face. The man wore a short sleeved white tee-shirt with a short sleeved black leather jacket, semi-tight black jeans, black combat boots, black leather gloves, and a pair of brown leather belts wrapped around his lower right arm, and a set of silver studded brown and black leather belts wrapping around his waist. Hanging around his neck was a silver chain with the head of a lion on it.

"Leon." Rei greeted warmly.

"Hey, don't forget about us!" Yelled a young female voice. The Beybladers mouths dropped open as two young women emerged from the shadows and stood on the other side of Leon.

The youngest was a woman probably just out of her teens with short black hair framing her oval face perfectly, creamy skin, a slender figure and sharp dark green eyes. She wore a blue strapped green tank top, very short yellow shorts, a slender blue belt around her waist, knee high white socks with orange sneakers, fingerless orange gloves that reached a bit above her wrists with dark green cloth reaching past her elbows, a yellow scarf wrapped around her throat, and finally a metal headband around her forehead.

"Yuffie." Rei said, pleasantly.

The final woman looked to be in her early twenties with long chestnut hair tied back into an intricate braid, and soft strands framed her round face, creamy skin, a slender figure and soft emerald green eyes. She wore a spaghetti strap pink dress that ended past her knees, ankle high dark brown boots, a slender blue belt wrapped around her waist, a set of bangles around her wrists, a black choker around her neck, and finally a dark red ribbon tied her hair back.

"Aerith." Rei said, softly.

"It's good to see you, Sora." Aerith greeted as she walked over and hugged the surprised Keybearer. "And don't you worry Sora!" Said Yuffie, giving the peace sign. "We'll find Kairi and bring her back to you!"

Rei blushed.

"Thanks."

Squall "Leon" Leonheart took notice of Rei's golden amber eyes, and was curious about it. And he wasn't the only one who had noticed. "Sora, why do your eyes look like the Heartless?" Aerith asked softly, looking at those golden eyes. Yami's eyes narrowed as he realized that Rei's eyes looked exactly like the glowing orbs of the Heartless.

Why was that?

Rei turned red and looked away. "I'd rather not talk about it." Rei muttered. "But—" Ranma was cut off by the dangerous look Rei shot him and grew quiet. "Well, I'm glad you're here Sora, so what's been happening with you these past few months?" Yuffie asked lightly, sending waves of confusion through the Beybladers.

Months?

_But I've known Rei for ten years, how can this be possible?_ Lee wondered as he watched the embarrassed teen talk with his friends, that were clearly _not_ Beybladers. _He looks happy though_, Lee mused silently. Suddenly, the soft sounds of Heartless forming, reached their ears. "Not good!" Max squeaked as a horde of Heartless began forming in the First District, which were clearly _not_ Shadow Heartless. This new Heartless was a little taller than a regular Shadow, and had the same round ebony head and glowing golden amber eyes, but that was all that was the same. This Heartless had a slender lithe figure that was a dark midnight blue, slender arms that ended with four fingers that had long razor sharp blood red nails, and curved and nasty looking talons. It held a moonlight silver helmet on its head, silver bands around its slender wrists, and it had a black heart on its chest that had a thin and jagged red "x" through it.

A Soldier.

"Look Sora, you and your friends go handle the boss." Leon ordered as he whipped out with what appeared to be a silver gun, however jutting from the barrel was a long and sharp looking silver blade. "We'll take care of these idiots!" Yuffie boasted, taking out a shrukien.

Rei nodded.

"Let's go." He gestured to a surprised Ranma and Yami, who raced after him as he bolted back towards the Second District. "Good luck you three." Mariah said softly, and eyeing the Heartless nervously. "You kids get to Cid's shop, he'll protect you there." Aerith said sternly.

--

**Second District**

"What did Leon mean by 'boss'?" Ranma asked, as they re-entered the Second District. Rei sighed. "The boss is what controls the lesser Heartless, and is usually stronger." He explained, before he jumped onto a near by roof top. Getting the idea, Ranma grabbed a surprised Yami's hand, and followed Rei across the roof tops, so they would reach the final district and hopefully the 'boss'.

--

**Third District**

Rei stood on top of the only balcony that could be found throughout the small district, behind him laid the only door that led to the Gizmo Shop that was back in the Second District. He heard Ranma and Yami land behind him. "The boss should be here in this district." He said quietly without turning around, before jumping off the ledge of the balcony, and landed in the middle of the small courtyard down below. Ranma whistled softly. He didn't think anyone without as much training in the martial arts like him, could pull off such a feat. Again, the martial artist teen grabbed Yami's hand; much to the Egyptian's annoyance, and jumped down to the courtyard.

Ahead of them and in a corner was a small fountain in the shape of two dogs seemingly locked in a 'kiss', and the fountain appeared to be made out of pure gold. Yami glanced over and saw a door snuggled between a large green star etched into a wall while on the right was a small blue arch with tiny golden crescent moons in the middle of the arch. Behind them was a set of stairs leading upwards to a single vacant home and the door that lead to a part of the Second District.

Hm.

What the—?!

Suddenly, the ground underneath their feet trembled dangerously, and before their eyes, three stone pillars _each_ began to block off their exits. Pillars blocked off the door Yami saw just moments before, the stairway leading up to the Second District, and a set of pillars blocked off the two way path that was behind the golden fountain.

Not good.

--

**First District**

Mariah squealed in fear as she and the other Beybladers and islanders felt the foundation of the Accessory Shop tremble and lurch for no apparent reason. Luckily Cid was able to keep the Shadow Heartless at bay, and Tyson was getting a bad feeling about the sudden earthquake.

_Be careful Rei…_

--

**Third District**

"I got a bad feeling about this…" Ranma trailed off, uneasily as he looked around with a nervous gaze. Yami's ruby eyes narrowed as a squad of Soldiers formed in front of them, he gripped the Mage's Staff; which began to brim with energy. Rei slid into his standard battle stance while gripping the Keyblade tightly. And Ranma kept the Knight's Shield up, and eyed the Soldiers warily.

Things were about to get a whole lot messier.

* * *

Hope you guys like this chapter, please let me know!


	3. HELP

**HELP!!!!!**

In order for me to complete this story, I need someone to tell me every card that is in Yami's Deck as well as Ranma's ki attacks. As soon as I get that information, I'll finish the story up. By wanting to know about Yami's deck, I mean up to the Yami Marik saga.


	4. SORRY

It's official people. My lap top; which contains all of my stories for both and of course for ; is utterly fried. So, this means that everything is on a definite HIATUS until I can get everything written down, so no updates for a few months, or even up to a year as it will take me a while to write everything down.

Sorry


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